The Week In Links—May 2

“I did it for the exposure; really, it was more of a promotional thing,” said Ohio gubernatorial candidate Larry Ealy of his time as a stripper.

Some excellent tips for reporters looking to liven up a slow news day with salacious and sloppy stories about how sex workers are everywhere. We are, you know. Watch out. And also watch for this formula!

The fact that sex workers use the internet is still surprising to some, but this roundtable with Melissa Gira Grant, N’jaila Rhee, Hawk Kinkaid, Stoya, and Tits and Sass contributor Emma Caterine goes beyond the initial shock of sex workers as Real People Who Really Exist to talk about some of the realities of sexual and emotional labor and the issues facing sex workers right now.

The Department of Justice’s Operation Choke Point (ignore the weak gag about blow jobs) is probably behind the closing of porn performers’ bank accounts. As Melissa Gira Grant said in the TtW panel, “if you want a preview of what will happen to everyone else on the Internet, this is a really remarkable opportunity.”

Two more lawsuits over the illegal classification of strippers as independent contractors were filed in New York and San Jose respectively.

Skip the no sex in the champagne room jokes–strip club Satin Dolls lost its appeal of its license suspension this week when the court found that “combination of “insufficiently monitored private areas” and workplace alcohol consumption by dancers “has the effect of promoting sex-related illegal activity such as solicitation.” Alcohol consumption by the dancers?

On the cutting edge of new technological innovation in humiliation and human rights violation, the Prince George’s County Police Department says it will live tweet its prostitution stings this week. Cyndee Clay, executive director of sex workers’ rights organization HIPS, is quoted saying, “Shaming doesn’t work. If they [the arrested sex workers] are in a trafficking or abusive situation, posting their picture on the Internet isn’t doing anything to help that situation. You’re also potentially outing these people to their friends, family and to their neighbors. This puts them at increased risk of violence or isolation.” Tweet to @PGPDNews to share what you think of this.

The Guardian looks at the sanitization of pole dancing, or what Barbara Speed refers to as its “image problem.” In ten years Miley Cyrus will have invented twerking, Macklemore will have saved rap, and pole dancing will be something Carmen Electra made up.

Re: the Swedish model and outcall: “‘Now women have to go to the customers’ homes, which is one of the most dangerous ways to work: you don’t know what you walk into,’ said Pye Jakobsson, 45, a retired sex worker living in Stockholm.”

Two education-company executives were accused of a $33 million fraud that allegedly included bribing school officials with strip club visits and cruises. The businessmen went after government money earmarked for tutoring low-income students and defrauded more than 200 public-school districts nationwide. No wonder these shysters were successful, though—those school officials were probably exposed to more sexual excitement than they’ve ever had in their lives when provided with adequate funds to buy lap dances.

When sex work has nothing to do with the story but ups the clickbait-factor: Male Stripper Faces Human Smuggling, Fraud Charges. I guess his job could have been pertinent, if they’d taken that extra step of pointing out that sex work is some of the only work available to marginalized people with shaky legal documentation.

Many thanks to Red for coming on board as our Week In Links editor, beginning this week. Email her if you’d like to give her a tip on a link.